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“You coming?” Oliver’s deep, melodic voice knocks me out of my daydreaming.

“What?”

“You do want to say goodbye to your family, right?” A teasing glint glimmers in his eye and I hate the way my ears heat up as I glance at his lips, thinking about yesterday’s kiss. Lips I know all too well.

We shouldn’t have done it, plain and simple. Now it’s just complicated. Now there’s feelings involved. But isn’t this what you thought would happen when you first saw his picture? This was inevitable and that thought sends my stomach flipping.

“Yeah, of course.” I duck my head as I walk past him, heading back towards the porch where my family awaits. Mum envelops me in a hug.

“Make sure you bring him back next time, okay?” She holds me out at arm’s length and grins. “We like him very much.” I don’t respond, my throat thick with emotion. How can I bring him back? How can I not?

“Take care, possum.” Dad’s next, and he lets me go without telling me how much he likes Oliver, which I’m grateful for. Rachel gives me a quick hug before running off, shouting something about her butterflies. I smile fondly. Molly and Charlie are next, inseparable as always.

“When is Oliver going to come back?”

“We didn’t get to play yesterday!”

“He’ll be back soon, okay?” I respond in a desperate attempt to placate them.

“Promise?” Charlie asks, as stubborn as ever. I catch Oliver’s eye from where he’s chatting with Jake and Mum. I sigh.

“I promise.” The twins disappear, and I regret everything about that interaction when Jake saunters over. He throws an arm over my shoulder and I resist the urge to elbow him in the ribs.

“Promising to bring your little boyfriend back, hey?” I don’t resist the urge this time, driving my arm full-force into his mid-section, which only makes him laugh. “Oh, come on! I like the man. And he likes you too.” His voice drops as he leans in. “I can tell you like him back.”

“You don’t know anything.” Shooting him a glare, I detangle myself from his arms and end up back on Oliver’s side as he chats casually to my dad. He fits in so well here, effortlessly handling the overabundance of energy in my family.

“Ready to go?” I must have sounded too abrupt, because Dad shoots me a look. I smile apologetically. “It’s a long drive,” I offer as a half-hearted excuse.

“Alright then. Let’s get going.” Oliver says his final goodbyes to everyone as I stalk to the car, frustrated for a reason I can’t seem to put my finger on. We’re halfway to town before Oliver breaks the silence.

“Is everything okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He blows air out of his nose. “I know something’s bothering you. Can you please just tell me so we can work through it?” When I don’t respond, I feel him sink in the driver’s seat. “It’s the kiss, isn’t it? Eden, I am sorry if I put you on the spot like that and if you— “

“It’s not about the kiss!” I cut him off. “I mean, it is about the kiss. But I… I don’t regret it, okay? There’s just a lot to think about and I…”

“Don’t know what to do?”

“I’ve never done this before.”

“As you keep reminding me.”

“It’s all uncharted territory.”

“I don’t have a map either. “A beat passes as he glances at me, before returning his attention to the road. “I want to try with you, Eden. I’ve never felt this way about anyone. And I know you feel it too, no matter how hard you try to pretend you don’t.”

My mouth opens, then shuts. Have I been trying to ignore it?

I think of all the moments I’ve pulled back, convinced myself that I don’t feel as strongly for him as I do.

What would happen if I put my faith in him? If I fell and trusted that he would be there to catch me?

He nudges me with a smile. “I can hear your mind whirring from here. We can do this together, okay? Come on, put your music on. I’m sure there’s another artist you can torture me with.” Some of the tension in the air dissipates as I laugh.

“It’s not torture if you enjoy it!”